[updated September 2022]
Various Beginnings: Three Poems
杂 兴： 三 首
楚 王 多 内 宠
倾 国 选 嫔 妃。
又 爱 从 禽 乐
驰 骋 每 相 随。
锦 韝 臂 花 隼
罗 袂 控 金 羁。
逐 习 宫 中 女
皆 如 马 上 儿。
色 禽 合 为 荒
刑 政 两 已 衰。
云 梦 春 仍 猎
章 华 夜 不 归。
东 风 二 月 天
春 雁 正 离 离。
美 人 挟 银 镝
一 发 叠 双 飞。
飞 鸿 惊 断 行
敛 翅 避 蛾 眉。
君 王 顾 之 笑
弓 箭 生 光 辉。
回 眸 语 君 曰
昔 闻 庄 王 时。
有 一 愚 夫 人
其 名 日 樊 姬。
不 有 此 游 乐
三 载 断 鲜 肥。
Za Xing: San Shou
Chu wang duo nei chong
Qing guo xuan pin fei.
You ai cong qin yue
Chi cheng mei xiang sui.
Jin gou bi hua sun
Luo mei kong jin ji.
Zhu xi gong zhong nu
Jie ru ma shang er.
Se qin he wei huang
Xing zheng liang yi shuai.
Yun meng chun reng lie
Zhang hua ye bu gui.
Dong feng er yue tian
Chun yan zheng li li.
Mei ren xie yin di
Yi fa die shuang fei.
Fei hong jing duan hang
Lian chi bi e mei.
Jun wang gu zhi xiao
Gong jian sheng guang hui.
Hui mou yu jun yue
Xi wen zhuang wang shi.
You yi yu fu ren
Qi ming ri fan ji.
Bu you ci you ye
San zai duan xian fei.
Various Beginnings: Three Poems
A Chu king had many palace concubines
Whole country chose their most beautiful to be a palace lady-in waiting.
He also loved to watch many animal fights
Hunting trips were accomplished with large female retinues.
Flowered sleeves of brocade to perch the imperial falcons
Silk gauze sleeves rode and held onto their golden halters.
He also hunted the palace ladies one-by-one.
All of the young ones were trained for these palace events.
Hunting trips displayed imperial decadence and the playing of games
Political protocols and the people then went into decline.
He still hunted the large wetlands during spring mating and birthing season
In the evening he partied and camped among the ancient imperial cemetery grounds.
East winds, two months of days for spring planting
On cue, the geese knew when to leave and start their migration.
Pretty palace ladies shot at their flying formations with silver arrows
One of skilled methods downed a pair of geese in flight with one shot.
Startled flying geese forced to break formation and land
Collected in groups they avoided the delicate eyebrow hunters.
The king watched and broke out with laughter
Bow and arrows massed to kill those landing and taking off.
Daily I wrote of these activities, and a Fanji story told by a huntress
Need to tell the Chu king Zhuang of the old days.
He only had one foolish lady named Fanji.
She was not happy hunting with the king
For three years she was a vegetarian.
Notes:
Chu: Nation state and kingdom (704-223 BC) that encompassed the modern day provinces of Hubei and Hunan, and part of other neighboring provinces.